Device and method for the automatic milking and feeding of animals

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a device and method for the automatic milking of animals. The animals enter the milking stall ( 5 ) from a gathering area (A) via an access path (B). The milking stall comprises a feeding device ( 7 ) and automatic milking equipment ( 6 ). After they have been milked, the animals leave the milking stall via an exit path (C) and move to the living area (D). According to the invention, a feeding stall ( 20 ) for supplying an amount of feed which is determined by the control system is incorporated in the exit path.

The invention relates to a device according to the preamble of claim 1.A device of this nature is known from WO 9603031. A drawback of theknown device is that for some animals the period of residence in themilking stall may be short, so that they cannot be fed with sufficientconcentrated feed. This means that additional concentrated feed then hasto be given, for example in feeding boxes which are positionedseparately from the milking device and in which the animal has to beidentified again This requires a separate device, with an additionalrelatively expensive identification system, thus constituting adrawback.

The object of the invention is to eliminate this drawback, and to thisend the device is designed in accordance with the characterizing featureof claim 1. By identifying the animals prior to milking and guiding theidentified animal to a feeding stall and feeding it further in thatstall, it is possible to make efficient use of the milking stall whileobviating the need for an additional identification system. Also, theidentified animal can be guided direct to the feeding stall withouthaving to visit the milking stall.

According to a refinement, the device is designed in accordance withclaim 2. In this way, animals which have been milked can easily beguided past the feeding stall.

According to a further refinement, the device is designed in accordancewith claim 3. In this way, the animal which has been fed can leave thefeeding stall without affecting the movement of other animals which haveleft a milking stall.

According Go a further refinement, the device is designed in accordancewith claim 4. This ensures that a feeding stall is generally availablefor animals which have been milked after the end of the milkingoperation, so that a waiting time in the milking stall is as far aspossible avoided and the milking stall can be used as efficiently aspossible.

According to a refinement, the device is designed in accordance withclaim 5. In this way, it is possible to use a single identificationsystem to request or record all the information which is to be assignedto a specific animal.

The invention also comprises a method according to claim 6. This allowsthe milking stall to be utilized as efficiently as possible for milkingand feeding.

A further refinement to the method is given in accordance with claim 7.The fact that the animals are already being fed in the milking stallwhile they are waiting for the feeding stall to become availableprevents an animal which has been milked from becoming agitated.

Another improvement to the method is given in accordance with claim 8.This ensures that the milking stall is used as efficiently as possiblefor milking.

The invention will now be explained with reference to an exemplaryembodiment, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic plan view of a milking device, and

FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic side view of the feeding stall from FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 diagrammatically depicts a milking device for milking and feedinganimals, such as for example cows. The animals move towards the milkingdevice and wait in a gathering area A until they are admitted formilking or feeding. An access path B is provided with an identificationsystem 1 which interacts, in a known way, with transponders which areworn by the animals. The identification system 1 recognizes andidentifies a transponder and transmits the identity of the animalstanding in front of an access gate 2 to a control unit 21. The accessgate 2 is the start of the access path B to a milking stall 5. Eachmilking stall 5 is provided with an entry gate 3 and an exit gate 4. Afeeding trough 7 into which enticement feed or concentrated feed can betipped in a manner not shown, is arranged in the milking stall 5; in thecontrol unit 21, it is possible to record how much feed has been givento the animal which is present in the milking stall 5. The milking stall5 is provided with diagrammatically depicted milking equipment 6 whichcan be automatically connected, in a known way, to the teats of theudder of the animal which is to be milked. If appropriate, the feedingtrough 7 may be provided with means which are known per se and withwhich the feeding trough 7 can be covered or with which the head of theanimal which is present in the milking stall 5 can be pushed out or thefeeding trough 7, so that she urge to remain in the milking stall 5 iseliminated and the animal will seek to leave the milking stall 5.Instead of or in addition to the identification system 1, it is possiblefor each milking stall 5 to be provided with an identification systemwith which it is also possible, for example, to establish the presenceof the animal.

In front of the milking stall 5, there is a path which is separated fromthe gathering area A by a fence 8. This path is partially the accesspath B from the living area A to the entry gates 3 of the milking stalls5 and is also the exit path C from the exit gates 4 to a living area D.The exit path C is provided with a separating gate 9, which is actuatedby the control unit 21 and with which an animal which has left themilking stall 5 can be guided to a separating area E. In the separatingarea E, those animals which require extra attention, for example as aresult of a disease having been observed, are collected. The exit path Cis also provided with a sorting gate 10 which is actuated by the controlunit 21 and with which an animal can be guided, via a one-way gate 17,to the living area D or is guided, via an entry gate 11 which may beactuated by the control unit 21, into a feeding stall 20.

The feeding stall 20 which is shown in side view in FIG. 2 is providedwith side gates 12 and, on the side remote from the entry fence 11, witha feeding trough 15 which is attached to a bracket 14. The bracket 14 isrotatably attached to supports 13 and is able to rotate about ahorizontal axis using a cylinder 19. When the bracket 14 has been moveddownwards, the animal which is present in the feeding stall 20 can eatout of the Feeding rough 15. When the bracket 14 has been moved upwards,the animal can move through beneath the feeding trough 15 and into theliving area D via a one-way gate 17. Via a feed line 16, the feedingtrough 15 is connected to a feeding appliance 18. If appropriate, thefeeding trough 15 may be provided with a sensor (not shown) which can beused to detect whether the concentrated feed supplied has been or isbeing eaten or whether concentrated feed is still present in the feedingtrough 15.

The various components of the device are controlled by the controlsystem 21. The connections between this control system. 21 and thevarious components are indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 1. In thefigures, the actuating members of the fences, gates, milking device andfeeding trough are not shown, or are only shown to a limited extent.Other means which may be required, such as those with which the animalswhich are to be milked are stimulated to move along the paths, and themeans with which the positions and progress of the animals past thevarious components can be established, are not shown, since they areknown to the person skilled in the art.

The device operates as follows. An animal walks to the access gate 2,because it wishes to be milked. When a milking stall 5 is available, itsentry gate 3 is opened, followed by the access gate 2. While the animalis walking towards the milking stall 5, and if the identification system1 is positioned in front of the access gate 2 before he access gate 2 isopened, the animal is identified by means of the identification system1. The control unit 21 establishes which animal is present in a specificmilking stall 5, possibly also with the aid of an identification systemwhich is present there. With reference to the information which is knownin the control unit 21 for this animal, it is established what type(s)and quantity of concentrated feed will be supplied to he animal. Thisdepends, for example, on the age of the animal, the duration oflactation, the time which has elapsed since the animal was last fed and,for example, the time of day. During milking, concentrated feed issupplied in the feeding trough 7. The milking cups of the milkingequipment 6 are automatically connected to the teats of the udder bymeans of a milking robot (not shown), and milking commences.

After milking, has finished, in that it is observed, in a known manner,that there is no more milk coming out of the udder, the milking cups areremoved. It is then established how much concentrated feed the animalwhich has been milked still has to eat. If this quantity is negligible,the sorting gate 10 is moved into a position which is such that ateanimal which has been milked is guided out of the entry gate 4 directlyto the living area D. If the amount to be eaten is sufficiently high,which will often be the case with cows, since the time which theyrequire to eat is generally longer than the time required for milking,the animal which has been milked as guided to a feeding stall 20. Thefeeding, stall 20 is made ready by moving the feeding trough, 15downwards and opening the entrance gate 11. The sorting gate 10 is movedinto the position in which the animals which have been milked are guidedtowards the feeding stalls 20, the exit gate 4 is opened, and then theanimal which has been milked walks towards the feeding stall 20.

After the animal has arrived in the feeding stall 20, the amount ofconcentrated feed to be supplied, which has been established by thecontrol system, is given to the animal which has been milked via themetering equipment 18. After the animal has been given all theconcentrated feed to which it was entitled, the exit from the feedingstall 20 is opened by the feeding trough 15 being moved upwards, afterwhich the animal can leave the feeding stall 20.

If the animal does not wish to eat all the concentrated feed supplied,or is eating extremely slowly, this can be detected by theabovementioned sensor, after which the supply of feed is stopped orslowed. If appropriate, the animal may be given the remainder of theconcentrated feed as extra when it is next milked. Also, should thishappen repeatedly, the control unit 21 can provide the operatingpersonnel with a warning, or the animal can be separated in theseparating area E.

In the example described above, a feeding stall 20 was available at theend of the milking operation. If there is no feeding stall 20 available,the animal which has been milked can be guided direct to the living areaD and is given a further opportunity to receive concentrated feed duringits next visit to the milking device. In this method, the milking stall5 is utilized as efficiently as possible. The control unit 21 may alsobe set in such a way that, for example during certain periods of the daywhen there are few visits to the milking stall 5, the animal are fed inthe milking stall 5 until a feeding stall 20 becomes available.

As indicated above, it is possible that an animal may have eaten all theconcentrated feed which is to be given while it is still in the milkingstall. In that case, the sorting gate 10 is positioned in such a mannerthat the animal which has been milked can be guided direct to the livingarea D without entering the feeding stall 20.

In addition to the situation described above, it is also possible thatan animal which does not have to be milked may enter the milking device.This may arise if it has just been milked, but also if it is no longerlactating and is therefore dry. In this situation too, this animal maystill be entitled to concentrated feed. After he identification system 1has established the identity of the animal and it has been observed inthe control unit 21 that the milking stall 5 does not have to bevisited, the entry gate 3 and the exit gate 4 are kept closed, andsorting gate 10 is moved into the position in which the animal is guideddirectly through to the living area D or in which it is guided into afeeding stall 20 for concentrated feed to be supplied. It is thenallowed through as a result of the access gate 2 being opened.

The number of milking stalls 5 contained in the device is determined onthe basis of the size of the herd The number of feeding stalls 20 isdetermined on the basis of the additional concentrated feed which thefarmer wishes to give to his cows and the time which they require to eatthis feed. In, general, the number of feeding stalls 20 will be at leastequal to the number of milking stalls 5.

In the exemplary embodiment described above, the access gates 11 and thefeeding trough 15 are each actuated separately. By mechanically couplingthe movements of the access gate 11 to those of the feeding trough 15,it is possible to dispense with one actuating member. In this case, themechanical coupling is set in such a manner that the access gate 1 isclosed when the feeding trough 15 opens the passage leading to theliving area D, and the access gate 11 is open when the passage to theliving area D is closed by the feeding trough 15.

What is claimed is:
 1. Device for automatically milking and feedinganimals, comprising at least one milking stall (5) having means (6) forthe automatic milking of animals, and having means (7) for feedinganimals during milking, an access path (B) along which an animal, canenter the device and walk to the milking stall (5), an exit path (C),along which an animal can exit the milking stall (5), first guidingmeans (2,3,8) for guiding animals along the access path (B), secondguiding means (4, 8, 10) for guiding animals to the exit path (C), afeeding stall (20) for feeding animals, a control system (21) forcontrolling the milking, feeding and movement of animals and anidentification system (1), which is connected to the control system, foridentifying individual animals, characterized in that third guidingmeans (1, 10, 11) are provided for guiding an identified animal from theexit path (C) to a specific feeding stall (20), and the feeding stall(20) is provided with metering equipment (18) for providing an amount offeed which has been determined by the control system (21).
 2. Deviceaccording to claim 1, characterized in that the exit path (C) comprisesan exit (10, 17) which is actuated by the control system, for enablinganimals to leave the exit path (C) without feeding.
 3. Device accordingto claim 1, characterized in that the feeding stall comprises an entry(11), which is accessible from the exit path (C), and a different exit(17).
 4. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the numberof feeding stalls (20) is at least as great as the number of milkingstalls (5).
 5. Device according to claim 1, in which the access path (B)is provided with an access gate (2) and the identification system (1)positioned in front of it, characterized in that there are means (21)for following the position of an identified animal in any one of theaccess path (B), a milking stall (5), the exit path (C) and a feedingstall (20).
 6. Method for the automatic milking and feeding of animalsin a device in which after an animal is identified and it is establishedwhether this animal is to be milked and fed or only fed, the guidingmeans are adjusted for guiding the animal to either an available milkingstall (5) or an available feeding stall (20) having metering equipment.7. Method according to claim 6, comprising an animal in a milking stall(5), while during its period in the milking stall (5), providing saidanimal with concentrated feed and, after milking, guiding said animalout of the milking stall (5) when either a feeding stall (20) has becomeavailable or sufficient concentrated feed was provided to said animal.8. Method according to claim 6, comprising providing an animal duringmilking with concentrated feed and, after milking is complete, iif nofeeding stall (20) is available for feeding the animal, guiding saidanimal out of the milking stall (5) directly to the exit (10, 17).